Noah Pedrazzoli provides a in-depth preview of the Toronto Maple Leafs as the puck drops on the 2024-25 NHL season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a transformative offseason. Since Brad Treliving took over from previous general manager Kyle Dubas, the Leafs have been sorting their direction under Treliving’s vision. Will they be tougher? Will they still have that scoring touch? Could they make past the first round? Let’s take a dive.
Upgrades
The main additions for the Leafs were on the backend and in the goalcrease where they made substantial improvements.
The Leafs began by trading prospect Max Ellis and a 2026-seventh round pick for defenseman Chris Tanev from the Dallas Stars. The Stars had complications signing the veteran which allowed the Leafs to land a seasoned, hard-hitting defenseman on the cheap.
Next up is 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Acquired during the free-agent frenzy on July 1st, the journeyman defenseman was part of numerous teams during his NHL career and finally found his way to the “6ix” after displaying his value during the Florida Panthers’ cup-winning playoff run last season. Now, he will be charged with providing his experience to transform a relatively unstable blueline into a competent one.
John Tavares passes Leafs captaincy to Auston Matthews
The re-signings of depth-players such as Noah Gregor, Connor Dewar, and Jani Hakanpaa will add more stability to the bottom-six and bottom defensive pairing; which has been a critical flaw in recent years, contributing to their failures in the playoffs. In addition, Max Domi was a significant UFA with whom they were able to negotiate a team-friendly deal. It’s no secret that Max Domi loves Toronto due to his father being Leafs Legend Tie Domi, and will now resume his role as a vital piece of center depth that can provide reliable two-way play.
Anthony Stolarz was a welcome addition to the Leafs goalie tandem which should contribute some much-needed stability between the pipes. The Panthers relied upon Stolarz to carry a significant workload whenever they needed to rest starter Sergei Bobrovsky. As Bobrovsky’s backup, Stolarz was a very competent netminder that handled his fair share of playoff-bound contenders and struggling teams. His competency showcases how he can share a potential starting role with projected starter Joseph Woll.
“The Leafs can’t seem to find the middle ground between a reliance on toughness and starpower.”
Needs & Losses
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a lot of moves to get younger and gritter, but at the cost of building around their core. The Leafs can’t seem to find the middle ground between a reliance on toughness and starpower.
Surprisingly, their most significant flaw is their top-six. Yes, they still have seventy-goal scorer Auston Matthews and forty-goal scorer William Nylander, but they no longer have a power forward like Tyler Bertuzzi to accompany them. Bertuzzi was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks and will resume his first-line duties alongside young sensation Connor Bedard. Bottom line? The top-six has gotten increasingly unstable which could disrupt their scoring output in a competitive Atlantic Division.
Ekman-Larsson and Tanev easily improve the structure that this blueline has needed for a long time. However, what’s peculiar is the contracts and the longevity they were offered. Ekman-Larsson’s contract can be associated with the “cup tax,” a phenomenon that exaggerates the value of a player after they win the Stanley Cup. But Tanev is a player that has suffered a few injuries and isn’t getting any younger.
Tanev is a very competent defenseman, and the Leafs sure hope he is since they have him until he’s 40, but they will need all their defenseman to pull their share of the load.
Stolarz and Woll are both competent netminders, but this is Woll’s first full NHL season. Woll will be entrusted with the net for the first time in his career. But, it wouldn’t be shocking if Stolarz takes over at some point if Woll performs poorly. The 1a-1b experiment will be interesting, however, they’ll be relying on a still-developing defense to assist their fluid goaltending situation.
Maple Leafs Division Outlook: 2nd-4th Place
The Toronto Maple Leafs have definitely gotten tougher in all aspects. They added a veteran presence to their defense, security to their goalie tandem, and provided some cushioning to their bottom-six. But how will they matchup against the top of the division?
There is a clear problem in Toronto: rookie Matthew Knies and declining veterans Calle Jarnkrok and Max Pacioretty project to start in the top-six. It raises questions about how effective their scoring will be compared to teams such as Florida and Boston.
Is Auston Matthews suited for his new role as team captain? And how will John Tavares adjust after handing the captaincy over?
New head coach Craig Berube clearly has his work cut out for him. Can he usher in a new era of grit to accompany the starpower of the “Core Four”? And can he inspire the best of his players from both ends of the bench? He’ll need to if they want to finally advance deeper into the playoffs.
Catch the latest episode of HNiNY as the fellas recapped camp and looked towards the start of the season with Andrew Gross of Newsday.
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